Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 81

Devanagari script

द्वादशीवासरे प्राप्त एवं कुर्वंति ये नराः । गीताद्यैः शतसाहस्रं पुण्यं यच्छति केशवः

Transliteration

dvādaśīvāsare prāpta evaṃ kurvaṃti ye narāḥ | gītādyaiḥ śatasāhasraṃ puṇyaṃ yacchati keśavaḥ

Translation

ദ്വാദശീ തിഥി വന്നാൽ ഇങ്ങനെ—കീർത്തനാദി ഭക്തികർമങ്ങളാൽ—ആചരിക്കുന്നവർക്ക് കേശവൻ ലക്ഷഗുണം പുണ്യം നൽകുന്നു.

Word by Word

• dvādaśī-vāsare: on the Dvādaśī day
• dvādaśī-vāsare: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण-काल)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dvādaśī (प्रातिपदिक) + vāsara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/7th), एकवचन (Singular); षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष: ‘द्वादश्याः वासरः’ (on the day of Dvādaśī)

• prāpte: when (it) has arrived
• prāpte: Adhikarana (Locative absolute condition)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: āp (धातु) + pra + kta (कृत् प्रत्यय)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (past passive participle), पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/7th), एकवचन (Singular); सति-सप्तमी (locative absolute)

• evam: thus
• evam: Prakara (Manner)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: evam (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; प्रकारवाचक क्रियाविशेषण (manner adverb)

• kurvanti: do
• kurvanti: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: kṛ (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), बहुवचन (Plural)

• ye: who (those who)
• ye: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), बहुवचन (Plural)

• narāḥ: men / people
• narāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), बहुवचन (Plural)

• gītā-ādyaiḥ: by (texts) beginning with the Gītā
• gītā-ādyaiḥ: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: gītā (प्रातिपदिक) + ādi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental/3rd), बहुवचन (Plural); अव्ययीभाववत्-प्रयोग ‘गीतादि’ = ‘गीतया आदिना’ (beginning with the Gītā)

• śata-sāhasram: a hundred thousand
• śata-sāhasram: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śata (प्रातिपदिक) + sāhasra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (Singular); संख्या-समास/तत्पुरुष: ‘शतानां सहस्रम्’ (= one hundred thousand)

• puṇyam: merit
• puṇyam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: puṇya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (Singular)

• yacchati: gives
• yacchati: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: yam (धातु) [यच्छ-आदेश]
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular)

• keśavaḥ: Keśava (Krishna)
• keśavaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: keśava (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced: Prabhāsa-khaṇḍa, Dvārakā-māhātmya narration style)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Dvārakā (Dvāravatī)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: King addressed (nara/bhūpati)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Dvādaśī night/day in Dvārakā: devotees sing before Keśava with cymbals and drums; lamps blaze; the deity’s presence is felt as a shower of merit.

Characters & Entities

• Keśava
• Dvādaśī

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Devotion expressed through vrata-day observance and heartfelt worship (like sacred singing) multiplies merit by the grace of Keśava.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse belongs to Dvārakā-māhātmya, implying the sacred milieu of Dvārakā where Viṣṇu’s grace is especially accessible.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Observance on Dvādaśī along with devotional practices such as gīta (religious singing) and allied worship.